Betfair & ATR..

I'm about to have a rant about the two above organisations. But before I start I have to stress that I didnt lose any money because of this and I bet to my own accord, I sit down at the computer and I know what to expect with them you know, thats why the stakes are so small on the horses.

Today we have three ATR/SIS meetings currently going on, Newcastle, Exeter and Southwell, and ATR is about 6, 7 or 8 seconds behind judging by when Betfair open the market for in running.

First point on Betfair, well we all know what theyre like, greedy bastards. But my gripe is that they open the market for IR 6/7/8 seconds before the stalls open but they DO NOT close the market 6/7/8 seconds before it finishes. They suspend crossing the line or maybe a length before it. Common sense or logic would suggest that if it opens 7 seconds before, it would close 7 seconds before, it doesnt. How many bets get matched at 1.01 or 1000 when the race is over?

Second point on ATR, those that will remember 'ATR extra' will know they can have pictures at up to just 1 second behind. Those that watch RUK will know they usually (but not every day) run one second or so behind TurfTV (like SIS but for RUK tracks), so it CAN be done, ATR dont HAVE to be so far behind. But instead they "put on" 6/7/8 seconds so people will keep paying for SIS.

I know theres track players and exchange shops (I go to one some days), and more power to those people, you know if they go out of the way to do it good luck to them. But the powers in racing always keep banging on about this 'level playing field' but yet every day we get this absolute shite going on..

Betfair suspend 6 seconds before they leave the stalls but not 6 seconds before the line - more commission for them.

ATR have a 6/7/8 delay added on to the pictures - more money for them. SIS supply ATR with the pictures, "race reading skills are key," they say, so why do they need the delay? I understand ATR is a channel to show racing and isnt directly to be used for in running purposes, why then does it say "Live" on the ATR screen when it clearly isnt. Why do they talk about in running prices.

The most annoying thing, the thing that gets me, is that they CAN make it fairer for the casual home player if they wanted to, but they dont give monkeys about the casual home player do they.

I read Cheltenham are thinking of plans to move to Saturday in the next few years, a bit of gloss has already been taken off by the 4 day festival rather than the 3 days (those were the days!), so now they want to move it to Saturday because crowds dipped. Well-fooking-duh. Of course they dipped you already cocked up with the extra day including lesser graded races at the meeting which shouldnt be there in the first place. "Racing for change" very catchy slogan isnt it, pity they havent got a brain between them. Gold Cup day on the Friday is always a sell out last time I looked, but they want to change it.

"Lets change the odds to decimals and get more people racing." Oh what an idea, charge €60 in as well while your at it, €25 per meeting isnt enough already. €15 for food, €3 for a race card. Dont worry though, once it goes to decimals people will pay. Seriously FFS?

"Lets have more meetings and more all weather." Because thats just so exciting for new punters isnt it. Did you know that Dundalk is free in nearly every second Friday night? How can they run a business if its free in, because they get so much money from bookmakers for staging a meeting on a Friday night that they wave the admission fee. They do. Friday is pay day, all weather racing, pubs and bookies for most people, the racecourse does be empty.

Its not like the Racing Post will flag up anything sure just sponsor them or take out a page advert and you can say what you like sure or stop them telling the truth. Try bet €1,000 with Boylesports, you wont get on, but they sponsor the 'going guide' on ATR, lets interview Leon Blanche and he can tell everyone how they took €20,000 at 6/1 in the shops this morning. Oh yeah, and the next bloke went in with €50, got offered €20 at the price and the rest at SP, a coffee and a custard cream.

The common thing in racing is to blame 'crooked' trainers and jockeys, theyre not even half the problem FFS. Lets blame the "cheaters," lets blame the ground, lets blame the weather, lets blame the recession. Its all bollocks. Lets be realistic and blame the people in charge for once.

And they wonder why the games dying..

(Apologies for the rant).

Anyway, P&L today, nothing doing, nothing decent on.

Horse Racing: -€2.05 Total P&L: -€2.05